One of the most popular types of video games today is the first person shooter or FPS. These are games that place the player directly into the action by showing content on the screen as it would appear from the eyes of the character. As the name implies, most first person shooters are violent in nature and involve the use of various weapons to kill or defeat enemies.

The first FPS games weren’t violent at all. Games such as Spasismand Mystery Maze simply revolved around finding your way through a labyrinth of hallways with minor interaction with outside elements. This all changed with the second wave of FPS’s, as Maze War, Battlezone, and 3D Monster Maze introduced the hunting and fighting element to the genre. Now, the player’s objective was to kill all the enemies that blocked his/her path.

Although first person shooters were available in the 80’s, it wasn’t until the release of Wolfenstein 3D in 1992 that they became so popular. Wolfenstein 3D featured a hero, armed with a machine gun, killing Nazis. Soon after, the video game Doom was released, which replaced Nazis with Demons from hell. It also featured many more weapon options, more complex levels, and more graphic violent images, such as blood and dead bodies remaining on the floor.

At this point, the genre took off and there were literally hundreds of different FPS’s created. The next major innovation was the multiplayer function, which allowed two human combatants to fight each other. This pushed sales for games such as Goldeneye 007 into the millions. Competition became fierce among friends, vying to see who could score the most kills. As the internet became more widely accessible, multiplayer first person shooters expanded even more. Now friends could compete against people across the globe.

The future of first person shooters looks bright. Emphasis has been changed in certain games from pure violence to strategy. Nintendo changed its popular Metroid series to first person shooters with the release of Metroid Prime in 2002. Games such as Metal Gear Solid place as much emphasis on strategy and stealth as on shooting. Finally, massive multiplayer online games, such as Everquest, Star Wars Galaxies, and World of Warcraft combine role playing elements with combat to enhance the first person shooter experience. It will be interesting to see what the next great innovation is in FPS’s. Whatever it is, I’m sure you’ll soon find it on Christmas lists everywhere.